


Dysfunctional Love.

by Rileykins



Category: Prison Break
Genre: Brotherly Love, Gen, The Most Dysfunctional Idea of Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9391169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rileykins/pseuds/Rileykins
Summary: Michael and Lincoln are fresh on the run from Fox River. Michael's optimism and hope for the future is wilting quickly for Lincoln, and he hopes with some tough love he can make Michael face the severity of the situation.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngelsAvengeMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsAvengeMe/gifts).



> Just something to put out while I take a breather from In The Middle. Written for my bae! Enjoy x

Michael isn’t sure how long they’ve been running for.

 

He doesn’t remember much since Abruzzi chopped T-Bag’s hand off.

 

He does remember Lincoln pulling at him when he slows down, he remembers his brother muttering “C’mon Michael, we have to keep going” with hard tugs to keep him on his feet.

 

Michael remembers briefly the gas station they stop at. Lincoln runs in for a few minutes and comes back out with a stuffed plastic bag of water, chips and a chocolate bar. No one follows him out. “C’mon Michael,” Lincoln grunts as he grabs him by the wrist, tugging him to his feet again. “C’mon Michael.”

 

They’re running again.

 

Night has begun to fall when Michael trips and stumbles. He grabs onto a passing tree and leans heavily against it, his heart thumping against his rib cage from exhaustion. He’s not sure he can feel his feet any longer, and he’s not sure how his brother of all people could have spirited him away like this.

 

“We have to take a break, Linc.” Michael gasps out as he tries to catch his breath.

 

Lincoln is standing a few feet away from him, solid and silent and contemplative. Michael stares at his brother’s back, finally feeling his breath come back to him, and the buzzing in his feet begin as he slowly sinks to the roots of the tree holding him. The once stuffed full plastic bag is now full of garbage; they had cracked the water bottles open a while ago and both held only a few sips. The chip bags were stuffed in the bottom and the chocolate bar lay half melted in its wrapper. Michael’s stomach growled.

 

“Michael,” Lincoln starts. “If I hand myself in this ends.”

 

His words are like a strike across the face, and Michael feels his chest tighten uncomfortably. “You can’t,” He chokes out, but his big brother has turned around, narrow eyes squinting through the falling darkness at him. Michael feels his throat closing, a reaction he hadn’t had since his unfortunate days in Fox River.

 

“It’s the only way for you to have a normal life.” Lincoln says quickly. He can see the pain in Michael’s eyes, and he knows he can’t hold himself against it for long. He takes a step towards him and Michael flinches away as if punched, making Lincoln freeze in his steps.

 

“I can’t do this without you, Linc. There’s no way I can,” Michael rambles weakly, his only defense against Lincoln’s words, and his brother’s eyes darken once again. Lincoln knows this. Lincoln knows there’s a dependency between them, one can’t really function without the other, but this was a matter of life and death now and Lincoln would be damned if Michael lost it all because he couldn’t ‘do this’ without him.

 

“Michael this is the only way.” Lincoln’s voice is low and gentle. Aggression will not work on Michael right now. “I have to turn myself in. I have to go back. I can’t see you like this, I can’t stand knowing you’re on the run because of me.”

 

Michael is silent. He’s processing. Lincoln clenches his hands into fists and relaxes them as he watches his little brother struggle with what he had said, with what he would have to say in return. Lincoln turns away again, staring at the wide expanse of trees around them, wondering if he could slip away in the night.

 

“You just got to have faith, Linc.” Michael whispers.

 

“Faith has nothing to do with this!” Lincoln snaps, his voice a little stronger than he intended. Michael sagged against the tree, drawing his knees up as he rested his arms on them. Lincoln ran a hand over his face, then back over his head where his skin was littered with hard stubble. He shivered at the sensation. He had his head shaved for the chair. They had him strapped up. They were going to-

 

“Faith has everything to do with this, with us.” Came Michael’s weak warble. “I won’t do this without you, Lincoln. You’re my brother.” _And I love you_. Michael lifted his head to look at Lincoln’s back. He didn’t know if he could convince Lincoln of this. Was this really how it was all going to end? Michael Scofield, breaking his brother out of Fox River only to have his brother go back with his tail between his legs? The thought angered him fiercely, but then the sobering thought of going on without Lincoln made his anger rapidly turn into sadness, and for a second his eyes welled with tears.

 

Selfish, sad tears of a brother being abandoned once again.

 

Lincoln turned slowly and Michael rose to his feet, wiping the tears away quickly. Lincoln had seen them. He took the few separating steps between them and gathered Michael in his arms, hugging him tightly to his chest. Michael clung desperately to his brother and once again felt those same sad tears well and fall, and he buried his face against Linc’s shoulder, exhaling hard when he realized he was holding his breath.

 

“You’re right, Michael. Faith has everything to do with this.” Lincoln murmured, and Michael pulled back slightly, staring at his brother. “If anything happens to me, if we get into a situation where we’re stuck in a corner and there’s no way out,” Lincoln took a breath. “Let me go.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

“Michael you don’t have a choice. I won’t let you take the fall. You have too much to live for.”

 

“Lincoln,”

 

“Michael, promise me if anything happens, if I get caught or if I go back to prison you won’t try and break me out again.”

 

Michael blinked, his upper arms still in the grips of his brother. “I can’t.”

 

“Promise me that if anything happens you’ll go on without me.” Lincoln’s voice was firm. “Take Sara and LJ to Mexico, and start that surf shop. You have to.”

 

Michael stood there in Lincoln’s grasp staring at his older brother like nothing else mattered. He ran over the scenarios in his head, the possibilities, the endless countless scenarios that he could help avoid or get out of, and realized that even though he may have a ‘Plan A’, he couldn’t make a ‘Plan B’ without his brother, or to be there when Plan A failed. Michael looked away from his brother’s intense gaze but was brought back with a hard single shake. “Michael, you have to promise me.” Lincoln repeated himself, and against all the odds Michael nodded.

 

“I promise,” He breathed before he found himself crushed against Lincoln once again.

 

The two brothers held each other for a long time. Michael clung to his brother, desperate and scared while Lincoln protected him, his chin on Michael’s shoulders, arms tight around his torso, eyes scanning the area for any incoming danger. When they finally released one another, they were both better for it. Michael gave a soft smile and Lincoln returned it, before turning to start walking once again.

 

“We better keep going if we plan to get anywhere before they catch up.” Lincoln said quietly as they began walking. Michael followed suit, nodding silently as the two brothers began picking their way through the trees, headed for freedom.


End file.
